LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Rick Jones and Rep. Andy Schor have introduced companion bills in the Michigan Senate and House of Representatives that would regulate advertising for medical marijuana and medical marijuana services on billboards as Michigan already does for tobacco products.

Senate Bill 463 and House Bill 4767 would effectively ban advertising on billboards for medical marijuana, medical marijuana dispensaries, and businesses that facilitate access to medical marijuana. This mirrors the restrictions Michigan already has on billboard advertising for tobacco.

“The billboards popping up all through our corridors promoting ‘High Lansing’ are shocking,” said Jones, R-Grand Ledge. “This is not how you promote medicine, and we don’t need billboards to encourage children and others to use marijuana.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites exposure to tobacco advertising as a factor increasing youth usage of tobacco and recommend limiting advertising as part of an effective strategy to reduce tobacco use among youth. Limiting advertising for medical marijuana and services associated with medical marijuana would likely be part of limiting improper youth usage.

“People in Michigan already know about medical marijuana, and anyone using medical marijuana has a card and should have no trouble finding a location to acquire it,” said Schor, D-Lansing. “We don’t need massive marijuana billboards advertising the availability of medical marijuana or to find shops, and shouldn’t be advertising this to our children and others who may abuse it.”